Morocco’s Wydad and South Africa’s Sun Downs will engage in a historic showdown when they meet tonight, Sunday, in the first leg of the final round of the inaugural edition of the African Football League competition.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on its official website that Wydad will host the first leg this Sunday evening at Casablanca’s Mohammed V Stadium at 18:00 GMT, while Pretoria in South Africa will host the return leg at Loftus Stadium. “Next Sunday, November 12, at 1:00 GMT.
Wydad advanced to the final round after beating hosts Esperance of Tunisia 5-4 in the Maghreb Derby on penalties in the second leg of the semi-final at the Hammadi Al Aqrabi Stadium in Rades. after Esperance advanced 1-0, marking Wydad winning the first leg with a goal.
For Sun Downs, they reached this stage by eliminating African Champions League champions Al Ahly of Egypt with a 0-0 draw in the return leg last Wednesday in Cairo, after the South African team won the first leg by a clean sheet.
This is the second time Wydad has faced Sun Downs in six months. The second leg allowed Wydad to reach the final, taking advantage and scoring two away goals.
Both teams had previously faced each other three times in the qualifying rounds, with Wydad emerging victorious, giving her a morale advantage over her South African counterpart.
Wydad reached the CAF Champions League final in 2017 after winning on penalties against Sun Downs before they faced each other in the semi-final of the same tournament in 2019, with Wydad winning 2–1 in the first leg and playing out a goalless draw in the second leg.
But on the other hand, Sun Downs are counting on the strength of their defensive line, as they are the only team that has not yet conceded a single goal in the African League.
Source: Agencies